20 things you can do with dish soap

Wednesday

Jun 20, 2012 at 12:01 AMJun 20, 2012 at 8:12 PM

Economy, frugality, thriftiness or just plain prudence. Call it what you will, the bottom line is same: In this day and age, it’s essential. And one of the best ways to pinch your pennies is to buy in bulk. Purchasing large volumes of multipurpose items means saving cash and saving time. Some items, like olive oil, can do double duty (foot scrub!). Others, like baking soda, make appearances all over the home. And dish soap? Well, here are 20 ideas to get you started.

Sayward Rebhal

Economy, frugality, thriftiness or just plain prudence. Call it what you will, the bottom line is same: In this day and age, it’s essential. And one of the best ways to pinch your pennies is to buy in bulk. Purchasing large volumes of multipurpose items means saving cash and saving time. Some items, like olive oil, can do double duty (foot scrub!). Others, like baking soda, make appearances all over the home. And dish soap? Well, here are 20 ideas to get you started.

1. Use it undiluted as a spot treatment for oil-based stains in clothing and other materials.

2. Use it as a pre-laundry aide, soaking soiled clothes in a diluted mix of the soap and water. This is reported to work especially well on especially whites.

4. You can also use it on your own hair. Great in a pinch, and especially helpful if you’ve got something greasy stuck in your hair.

5. Ants dislike dish soap. Try mixing a bit into a spray bottle of water, then dowse the door jams and windowsills and gently mist the countertops. This should help to keep your home and kitchen clear of ants.

6. Use it in your yard to keep the pests out of your garden. It only takes 1 tablespoon dissolved in a gallon of water. Put this solution into a spray bottle and then apply to the tops and bottoms of leaves.

7. Make a “gel ice pack” by filling a sandwich baggie with dish soap and then freezing.

8. Dish soap makes the best bubbles for bubble blowing! Use it to refill your kid’s old containers (diluted of course).

9. Soak automotive tools in a bath of dish soapy water, to cut through and remove the grease.

10. Try using it on those grease stains in the driveway. It works!

11. Use it to wash your car. (diluted)

12. Use it to wash your windows. (diluted)

13. Try it in the bathroom! It works well at removing soap scum, especially from glass and tile.

14. It can work well as a fruit and veggie wash (many pesticides are petroleum-based).

15. You can use it to clean small kitchen appliances, especially grease-covered ones such as the microwave.

16. You can use it to clean patio furniture, especially plastic, aluminum and wrought iron.

17. It can be used in the mop bucket; just 1-2 tablespoons will do the trick.

18. A diluted solution works well to clean painted surfaces like walls and windowsills. This is especially effective to remove the oils that can build up on push doors (or around door handles).

19. With a little bit of prep work, it also makes a great carpet stain remover. First, dissolve ½ cup dish soap in 2 cups hot water. Then use an electric mixer to whip the solution into a stiff foam. Apply the foam to carpet stains using a wet rag.

20. Beauticians have been known to soak their clients' nail beds in dish soap, prior to applying nail polish. Try it next time you give yourself a home manicure.

Sayward Rebhal writes for Roofing Networx. This article originally appeared at http://www.networx.com/article/20-things-you-can-do-with-dish-soap.

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